Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contracturer

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The English translation of the French verb contracturer is “to contract” or “to tense”. The infinitive form, contracturer, is pronounced as “kohn-trahk-tyuh-reh.”

The word contracturer has its roots in the Latin word “contractus,” meaning “to draw together” or “to shrink.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense could be:

  1. J’avais contracturĂ© mon Ă©paule en faisant du sport hier. (I had tensed my shoulder while playing sports yesterday.)
  2. Quand j’ai vu cette araignĂ©e, je me suis contracturĂ© tout le corps. (When I saw that spider, my whole body tensed up.)
  3. En attendant le rĂ©sultat de l’examen, il avait contracturĂ© ses muscles de stress. (While waiting for the exam result, he had tensed his muscles from stress.)

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of contracturer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais contracturĂ© J’avais contracturĂ© mes muscles. I had tensed my muscles.
tu tu avais contracturé Tu avais contracturé ton épaule. You had tensed your shoulder.
il il avait contracturé Il avait contracturé sa jambe. He had tensed his leg.
elle elle avait contracturé Elle avait contracturé son dos. She had tensed her back.
on on avait contracturé On avait contracturé son cou. One had tensed their neck.
nous nous avions contracturé Nous avions contracturé nos muscles. We had tensed our muscles.
vous vous aviez contracturé Vous aviez contracturé vos épaules. You had tensed your shoulders.
ils ils avaient contracturé Ils avaient contracturé leurs bras. They had tensed their arms.
elles elles avaient contracturé Elles avaient contracturé leurs jambes. They had tensed their legs.

Other Conjugations for Contracturer.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer
   

    PassĂ© Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer
   

    PassĂ© ComposĂ© (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer     (this article)

    PassĂ© AntĂ©rieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer

    Futur AntĂ©rieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer

    Subjonctif PrĂ©sent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer

    Subjonctif PassĂ© (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer
   

    Conditionnel PrĂ©sent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer
   

    Conditionnel PassĂ© (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer

    L’impĂ©ratif PrĂ©sent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer

    L’infinitif PrĂ©sent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contracturer

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Contracturer – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “ĂȘtre” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangĂ© (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlĂ© (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient jouĂ© (They had played)
2. With “ĂȘtre” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’Ă©tais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu Ă©tais arrivĂ©(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on Ă©tait tombĂ©(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous Ă©tions restĂ©(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous Ă©tiez nĂ©(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles Ă©taient montĂ©(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangĂ© avant qu’il ne soit arrivĂ©” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivĂ©, ils avaient dĂ©jĂ  fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passĂ© composĂ© (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passĂ© composĂ© describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi diffĂ©remment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb contracturer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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